There have been a number of prosthetic devices for use by amputees who have lost at least one or both hands, or one or both arms. Many of the devices are body powered and some are driven, or at least assisted, by electrical, myoelectrical, and/or pneumatic means. Many of the sophisticated devices are very expensive to manufacture and repair.
There are commonly used devices which attach to a prosthesis fastened to the remaining part of an arm on which a hand is missing and in which the device (sometimes called a "cup" or "cuff") at the end is designed to accept certain tools that are mechanically, but removably, attached to the cup. Such "cups" or "cuffs" can be an attachment position at the end of an expensive, complex prosthesis, or a relatively inexpensive, simple prosthesis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,078 (Perez) discloses a flexible sleeve for a forearm stump which has a threaded female member at the end of the sleeve into which can be threaded a handle of a tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,302 (Bengtson) discloses a tool holding prosthetic device having a threaded connector devices for attaching various tools and shows the use of a detent ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,194 (Winter) discloses a device for attaching to a hand to which an implement can be removably fastened
U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,113 (Adkins) discloses a device which is attachable to to an amputee's prosthesis to enable the amputee to swing a golf club or other device which requires swinging.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,966 (Norton et al) discloses a prosthetic limb having a means for grasping and holding a bar or tubular member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,765 (Keith) discloses an artificial arm prosthetic drive device for holding a rotatable tool.
In High Tech For The Handicapped by Larry Kettelkamp, published by Enslow Publishers, Inc. Hillside, N.J., 1991, there is described a prosthesis called the "Utah Arm", shown in exploded view, which illustrates a wrist rotator which has annular threads for receiving the threaded extension of gripping devices or artificial hand that is interchangeable and operates on a battery pack.
There is a perceived need for ways and means that permit the wearer of an arm prosthesis to have enhanced capabilities in the type and operation of mechanically attached implements.
The present invention is directed principally to providing for mechanical attachments of implements to prosthetic devices which are adaptable for movement by the wearer, using mechanical, pneumatic, electrical, or electromechanical movement of implements removably affixed to the end of a arm.
Throughout this disclosure the expression "terminal device" is used in the ordinary vernacular of arm prostheses as a device added to an arm prosthesis at a wrist location. The terms "tool connector" and "tool coupler" refer to parts which are used for coupling the tool with the terminal device. "Tool" and "implement" each refer to the item being coupled with the terminal device.